An American novelist who specialized in detective and crime fiction, Appel grew up in the Hell's Kitchen area of NYC, and his experiences strongly influenced his work. Appel worked as a bank clerk, farmer, lumberjack, factory hand, and housing inspector for New York City.
Appel presents a tough story of tough guys, petty gangsters, their dames and their fixers, in his usual heavy-slugging, uncompromising fashion. The novel has a dual theme. Primarily it is the story of Bill, small fry mobster out to muscle in on the big-time rackets, starting with his gang of west side kids by inching in with a string of bawdy houses. From there he gets into the power-house game, labor racketeering, inciting strikes so that he can step in with his confederates and break the strike, smash the union, and get a fat pay-off from capital...this novel is an eye-opener on one facet of the American scene which should not be shirked. (Kirkus Reviews)
This is a hardcover book bound in red cloth with black lettering. There is a moderate slant to the spine with sunning and wear to the tips of the spine. The hinges and binding are sound. The book is in good condition. 494 pages.
2. Runaround
New York, 1937, E.P. Dutton, 1st Edition (stated)
Signed and Dated in the Year of Publication (July 1937)
"To Alfred Ph D, spotter of steenk-bugs, examiner of crushed crabs, handler of granite sands, co-dweller & eater at Guts End on Steen-Kair, and one lousy water colorist if ever I saw one/Benjamin Appel N.A./P.S. For ignorant scientists N.A. means Nat'l Academy."
From the Author's foreword: "Runaround is a novel of American politics as practiced in New York City. But the locale could have been St. Louis, New Orleans or Seattle. The political clubhouse is a fixed institution as national in its pattern as the movie, the ritual of Saturday night or baseball. The people in the clubhouse although typical of New York City are also representative of the bosses and vote snatcher of any clubhouse in any American city. My Irish, Italian, Jewish and German politicians possess the identical drives of their brother Americans of English, Scotch, Polish, Swedish and French origins. My politicians are typical. In other words they are all primarily interested in jobs, patronage and the tin box; and they all mouth phrases such as 'my friends', 'freedom and liberty', 'the American ideal', etc."
Grey cloth with red lettering. The spine is sunned and has wear to the top. Otherwise, the book is solidly bound with sound hinges, Good-Very Good, without jacket.
3. The Dark Stain, New York, 1943, The Dial Press, 1st Edition
Signed and Dated in the year of publication (November 16, 1943)
"To Ruth, and looking ahead/Ben Appel"
"The locale is Harlem, but what happens in its exciting pages has already been paralleled in many American cities and may happen in many more. It is the story of Sam Miller, a New York cop, who was unwillingly forced to kill a crazed negro. This killing sets off a series of event that threaten to explode into riot. How an American Fascist grout tries to exploit the situation gives the author an opportunity to tell a story that has all the elements of a thriller and all the threat of a warning." From the jacket flap.
This is a hardcover book bound in brown cloth with jacket. The book is in very good condition; the jacket is not. The jacket is chipped and creased and a bit more than 1/3 of the spine is gone. Still, an incredibly scarce book in the trade, more so inscribed.
Note: In 2000, Bill Pronzini remarked as The Dark Stain was "one of the best novels about race relations published last century."
4. A Big Man, A Fast Man
New York, 1961, William Morrow, 1st Edition
Signed and Inscribed in the Year of Publication (Jan. 1961)
"To Ruth & Dick/Happy New Year/Ben Appel"
"Acquitted of the murder of his closest friend and associate (killed on the eve of his testifying before a Congressional subcommittee investigating labor racketeering) and implicated in the suicide of his father-in-law, Lloyd hires a public relations organization to change his unpleasant public image and get him some dramatic and favorable publicity." (New York Herald Tribune)
Orange cloth with dust jacket. The book is in very good condition. The dust jacket has a 1/2" mostly closed tear at the top of the rear panel and sunning to the spine but otherwise is in very good condition.
4a. A Big Man A Fast
New York, 1962, Pocket Books/Permabooks, 1st Printing Thus
Very Good in wrappers (not signed)
5. Hell's Kitchen
New York, 1977, Pantheon, 1st Edition, 1st Printing in Hardcover
Inscribed and Signed on the half-title page.
"To Irene and Evie with love from Ben and Sophie."
Originally published in 1955 in softcover. "With vivid recall, and the honesty and sensitivity he is known for, Benjamin Appel writes about the "rough-tough" neighborhood of his youth and the kids who were his friends." (From the jacket flap).
Tan boards and red cloth in dust jacket. Jacket and book are in Very Good Condition. 205 pages.
6. Plunder
New York, 1952, Gold Medal Books/Fawcett Publications, 1st Edition PBO
Signed and Inscribed on the title page.
"To Dick, Ruth/Irene, Billy,/PLUNDER!/lots of love/Ben Appel"
Wrappers, worn, front end paper missing; fair only.
7. Life and Death of a Tough Guy
New York, 1955, Avon (T-101), 1st Avon Edition
Signed and Dated in the Year of Publication (April 1955)
"To Ruth, Dick/all the best/Ben Appel"
Softcover original. Very Good. 191 pages.
8. Life and Death of a Tough Guy
New York, 1973. Manor Books, 1st of this Re-issue edition.
Signed and Inscribed in the Year of Publication (May 1975)
"For Irene, a few lessons on how to be tough/Ben Appel"
Softcover bound in stiff photographic wrappers. Very Good. 191 pages.
9. The Enforcer (Original Title 'Brain Guy')
New York, 1972, Belmont/Tower Books, 1st Edition in this Format
Signed and Inscribed. (May 1975)
"For Irene, Evie & Billy/Ben Appel"
Wrappers. Very Good. 223 pages. Front Cover comparing the work to The Maltese Falcon, The Long Goodbye, The Underground Man & the Godfather.
10. The Death Master/The Funhouse
New York, 1959, Ballantine Books, 1st Edition PBO
Very Good in Printed Wrappers with a Ben Shahn illustration on the front cover. Appel and Shahn were friends. This book is not signed, however, the re-issue (under a different title), which follows, is.
The Death Master
New York, 1974, Popular Library, 1st Edition of this Re-issue. (May 1975)
"For all the Solomons/Ben Appel"
Printer wrappers. Very Good.
11. Why the Chinese Are the Way They Are
Boston, 1968, Little Brown, 2nd Printing
Signed with a Drawing and Long Inscription:
1972/to Madeleine (spelling?)/ "Chinese Symbol"/This means 'a justly balanced figure, equal and freely expanding on both sides is the symbol for Peace; Justice; Equal"/Love from Mao-tse Beno"
Hardcover bound in green illustrated cloth and with dust jacket. The book is in very good condition. The jacket has sunning to the spine and portions of the front panel. The rear panel of the jacket shows a map of Mao's "Long March".
12. Why the Russians Are the Way They Are
Boston, 1966, Little-Brown, 4th Printing
Inscribed on the title page: "May 1975/for anyone who grabs this one/ Ben Appel"
This presumably inscribed at a signing, or in the way of 'guerilla' signing at a random bookstore.
13. With Many Voices: Europe Talks About America
New York, 1963, William Morrow, 1st Edition
Signed and Inscribed on the front free end paper in the Year of Publication:
"Dec 1963/to Ruth and Dick-all the best-Ben Appel
Hardcover book bound in grey cloth with dust-jacket. The book is in Very Good condition. The jacket has a 1/2" closed tear at the top of the front panel and some light soiling to the fold of the front flap; otherwise, the jacket is in very good condition.
14. The People Talk (2 copies)
New York, 1972, Johnson Reprint Corporation, 1st Reprint Edition.
Signed and Inscribed on the title page: "March 1973/to Irene and Evie a few years after the 1930's have ___all of us/Ben Appel"
Hardcover bound in green cloth. Very Good.
The First Edition of the Same Work (Unsigned)
New York, 1940, E.P. Dutton, 1st Edition
Hardcover book bound in green cloth with dust jacket. The book is missing the front free end paper; otherwise, the book is in good condition. The jacket is missing large pieces on the spine and is thus in poor condition. The front and rear panels are mostly intact.
15. Fortress in the Rice (Unsigned)
New York, 1951, Bobbs-Merrill, 1st Edition (stated)
Hardcover bound in Red Cloth with dust jacket. There is wear to the top of the spine; else the book is in Very Good condition. The dust jacket has a split along the spine with some loss; there is a 1" chip at the top right corner of the front panel; otherwise, the jacket is in good condition.
This novel grew out the Appel's experiences while attached to a US Commission to the Philippines. Working from a diary he kept daily, he wrote this novel, "about the people and the revolutions over fifty years-the revolution for rice and land and liberty." (from Appel's statement on the rear panel).
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